Greetings!
It's now time for 2017's 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' themed battle. We have four captains at war in a free-for-all this year, with the four factions being played, each with their own ship.
The game is 1000pts per player!
If you wanted to go to the main article with the short video, click here.
To enlarge the photos, just click on them! :)
Pirates (#1) - Firelock Games
Sailing with the legendary Black Pearl, these pirates were minding their own business on the mainland when an Ursapine attacked the food supply and scared the townsfolk away from the seaside village. Nearby, another threat arose from the depths - it was a kraken-like beast, known as the Watcher in the Ocean. To make matters even worse, an ancient rift gate opened on the edge of town, containing a piratical raid from the beastmen known as the Banebrood...
Banebrood - Megalith Games
The Banebrood are no strangers to looting, pillaging and acts of great violence and slaughter. A piratical raid is just another term for something they do everyday! As beastmen, they look like humanoid beast hybrids. Wanting to take the town's food (and everything for that matter), they've hijacked a smaller ship in order to conquer or devastate anything they come across.
Orks - Games Workshop
Lead by the mighty Cap'n Dreadhat (he loves his bicorne hat), the Orks from the Warhammer 40,000 universe had found a new style for 'lootin' tings'. With a classic and colourful pirate ship, they were set to stomp any gits that would get in their way. They had a plane too - but would they have enough dakka? The answer is always 'no', as you can never have enough dakka.
Rival Pirates (#2) - Firelock Games
Rivals of the pirates that were on the mainland, these raiders of the sea were sailing with the Queen Anne's Revenge. These pirates were out to get some loot too, but would meet some unexpected enemies and monsters on this most perilous of voyages, most notably the Orks that are drawn to conflict and loot like flies to a corpse.
The Battlefield - by Deep-Cut Studio
We've got an 8' x 4' playing area, made up of two mats created by Deep-Cut Studio. I think they look amazing and definitely set the scene for a super fun game!
Speaking of the game, let's dive into it.
We have a short video with music and footage if you'd like to watch it, just below. I think it sums up everything pretty well! Otherwise keep reading on for photos and a description.
Mission Objectives:
The goal is to have the most Pirate Points at the end of the game. These are acquired by the following means:
1) Securing Loot
There are 3 stashes of either treasure or food (with rum) on the battlefield. Holding these at the end of the Turn generates 1 Pirate Point. If held at the end of the game, it instead awards 3 Pirate Points!
2) Bonus Chests
At the end of the game, the Captains (players) may each choose from a stash of chests. A second chest can be awarded for achieving objective number 3.
3) Dangerous Wildlife (Bonus Chest)
The captain who damages the most Dangerous Wildlife will be granted a second bonus chest in objective 2. These creatures were vicious predators willing to slaughter the various pirate forces if given a chance, and needed to be repelled or slain where possible. There was an Ursapine (a bear porcupine hybrid), a 'Watcher in the Ocean' (tentacle crustacean) and a school of unusually aggressive sharks, six in fact.
The setting was a recently abandoned fishing village on the coast. Why was it abandoned? There was a killer bear that launches poisonous spines from its back in the town! They wouldn't want to touch that with a 100ft pole.
There was a lot going on, so instead of a Turn by Turn breakdown, we'll go with early, mid and late game.
Early Game
During the early stages of the game, the four armies were focused on their nearest rival and acquiring loot. The Banebrood and Pirates on the land were more so interested in fighting the Ursapine guarding the food and rum in the abandoned town. The Banebrood in particular were aggressive, the pirates being almost uncharacteristically sheepish among these predators.
All players had some infantry on their boats, ready for deployment during the game.
On the other side at sea, the Orks and Rival Pirates were moving in for treasure. The Orks sent their forces in waves (kind of funny given the ocean, you know?) and were engaging in ship vs ship bombardments and firefights.
In the centre was the 'Watcher in the Ocean' a disturbing beast that was guarding the central island's treasure. The Black Pearl along with it's captain and crew took the fight to the beast, only taking minimal damage in return. The Banebrood disembarked infantry onto the land to fight the Ursapine.
No major casualties were inflicted at this time. It was not over yet by a long shot however...
Mid Game
During the mid game, much of the Dangerous Wildlife had been slain, mostly sharks, but also the Ursapine and the Watcher in the Ocean. In particular, the Watcher in the Ocean had destroyed the Black Pearl upon it's defeat, dragging the legendary ship into the depths. The Captain and the crew had already disembarked previously though, to either claim the nearby treasure or take the fight to the Banebrood who were rapidly seizing control of the island and the food supplies.
There was much cannon fire and fighting taking place. All sides were taking casualties.
At this point, it was a tight contest between the Banebrood player and the Captain of the Black Pearl pirates as to who would win the bonus chest (for destroying the dangerous wildlife) at the end of the game!
Across the sea, the Orks were sending wave after wave of Orks against the Rival Pirates. The pirates were being thinned out, but so were the Orks. Seeing the opportunity to seize the middle island of treasure in a bid to control two objectives, the Queen Anne's Revenge made for the central island, being tailed by an Ork Bomber plane. However, Banebrood and the Black Pearl pirates were already nearby.
Late Game
Toward the end of the game, it was clear that the bonus chests at the end of the game could make a big difference for the winner. The fighting was intense and objectives were often contested between two, and at one location, three players.
The pirates of the Black Pearl had managed to defeat some Banebrood, but had been reduced to two models - one pirate and the Captain. They were facing a wipe-out if the game would continue much longer. The Queen Anne's Revenge of the Rival Pirates had been sunk in the late game, bombarded by the Orks and the Banebrood. To make matters worse, their hold on the first treasure island they encountered was rapidly slipping. An Ork Dreadnought had been dropped off there and was steadily shredding the few remaining Pirates. The Ork Captain himself was basically free to get the loot now!
However, the Banebrood seemed to be the strongest contender on the field. They had some powerful warriors left and their ship was only lightly damaged. They were set to conquer the ocean this day...
Victory!
The Banebrood were declared the victors this day! If the game had've gone longer, their dominance would've been even stronger.
Funnily enough, the pirates of the Black Pearl had acquired the most bonus treasure, which was hilarious given they had the least amount of strength left on the battlefield and never fully controlled an objective at any time. This was mainly because they had inflicted a lot of damage to the Watcher in the Ocean, and a little bit to the Ursapine. In one sense they were winners in themselves too thanks to the bonus loot. It helped alleviate the 'sinking feeling' they had during the game, hahaha. Yarr!
-Credits-
This game took place with many thanks to Firelock Games and Deep-Cut Studio. The Pirate miniatures and Gaming Mats really made the game feel like it came to life.
Of course, the day itself wouldn't have been properly celebrated without pirate miniatures. Firelock Games have an awesome range, be sure to check them out.
Click here to visit Firelock Games' site.
Deep-Cut Studio's mats were awesome. What else can I say? They have a variety of others too for a bunch of different games. I can highly recommend them.
Click here to visit Deep-Cut Studio's site.
Megalith Games' Banebrood models were really sweet, and added a more 'feral' piratical force to the field. Was very happy with them. They're brutal warriors :)
Click here to check out Megalith Games' site.
Also, the Orks were from Games-Workshop which was great fun. The ships were made out of Lego if you were curious.
And thank you for reading and/or watching this celebration of a random 'holiday', Talk Like a Pirate Day :)
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The next one we're planning is Halloween :3
Hope you feel inspired for some pirate games too! :)
- Richard
